Viper

The Viper is a series of one-man space superiority fighters developed and operated by the Colonial Fleet.

The Viper fighter family has a long and distinguished history - its first iterations, notably the Mark II and III, date back to the First Cylon War, where they fought with distinction alongside the first battlestars against the Cylons.

It is presumed that the family is still under active development; at the time of the Fall of the Colonies, the Mark VII, the latest iteration in the family, is shown as being in widespread use in the Colonial Fleet. During the Fall, a small fleet of Galactica's museum-based Mark II Vipers were re-activated for service to defend Galactica and its fleet, going on to serve alongside newer fighters during its four-year journey to Earth.